Rebar is a great way to shape concrete and can make the job much easier when the concrete is setting. However, with exposed rebar sticking out from the set concrete, there presents a danger to everyone working around the concrete for potential impalement hazards. What are some ways you can protect yourself? That will be the focus of our article today.
The first thing that can be set up are barricades around the concrete with rebar to ward off workers until more work is able to be done. By doing so, you prevent workers from even being in the same area as the rebar, reducing the risk of fall and injury. When working above ground, make sure that any areas above the protruding rebar have guardrails or fall prevention systems in place to keep workers from falling on to the rebar.
Another thing that can be done is capping the rebar poles. Using 2×4 pieces of wood can spread the impact of the force in the case of a fall. Or by using rebar caps, which can be tapped right onto the top of the pole. A last thing that you can do is to bend the actual ends of the poles, so that the ends are on a horizontal axis, thus reducing the impalement potential by a large amount.
Keeping these things in mind will allow your workers to remain safe while working with rebar and concrete structures.
